In the journal Otology & Neurology on Sept. 4, 2020, we reported a case of an 18-year-old woman who arrived as a patient in our clinic with seven weeks of sudden hearing loss in both ears, intermittent aural fullness (sensation of clogged ears), and vertigo. Her hearing test showed a moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss in the right ear, and a moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear.
Sharp Attention Explains Why the Early Bird Gets the Worm
Auditory attention is the ability to focus on specific sounds. Attention capture is the involuntary response to sound targets in the environment. For humans, auditory attention can mean having a conversation in a noisy room, but still recognizing and responding (attention capture) to hearing a name being called from a distance.
Traumatic Brain Injury Affects Auditory Quality of Life Even With Typical Hearing Thresholds
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. There are an estimated 3.2 to 5.3 million individuals in the United States who are living with a TBI-related disability, and the estimated societal cost is in excess of $76 billion per year.
Emerging Research Grants (ERG) Applications Are Open
Through the Emerging Research Grants (ERG) program, Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) provides seed money to researchers working across the entire spectrum of hearing research and balance research, including many underfunded areas of otology. The ERG program has since 1958 played a foundational role in the careers of many academic researchers and clinicians in otolaryngology and related hearing and balance fields.
UM School of Medicine Researchers Identify Role of Crucial Protein in Development of New Hair Cells Needed for Hearing
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have conducted a study that has determined the role that a critical protein plays in the development of hair cells. These hair cells are vital for hearing. Some of these cells amplify sounds that come into the ear, and others transform sound waves into electrical signals that travel to the brain.
Hearing Is Believing
I lost my hearing suddenly and in both ears at age 21. It was May 1957. I was on lunch break with friends and heading back to the Boston ad agency where we worked. Suddenly I pitched forward, losing my balance. The hearing in my left ear disappeared. Days later, my right ear lost nearly all hearing too.
A Week to Plan Your Future
Have you considered planning for your future? October 19th-25th is National Estate Planning Awareness Week, a moment when Americans are encouraged to protect the things they love and plan for their futures by creating an estate plan.
Effects of Premature Birth on the Auditory System
In our August 2020 paper in The Hearing Journal, we review causes of prematurity and the typical development of the auditory system. The sensory system, which includes the auditory system, develops in a very specific way inside the womb. This process is interrupted and occurs differently when development continues outside of the womb due to a premature birth.
Helping Those with Hearing Loss During COVID-19
One group of people that have been hard done by during the pandemic and its repercussions is the hearing loss community. With masks and social distancing becoming recommended or even mandatory in many public places, it can be tricky to communicate with a community that relies on context given by lip-reading.
A Design Fix for Face Masks
My wife Nathalie and I are both artisans, originally from Normandy, France, now living in New Jersey. I design and make furniture and Nathalie works with textiles. When the pandemic started affecting our New York-New Jersey area, we watched as local hospitals were in dire need of PPE (personal protective equipment). We wanted to use our talents to help, so we started making fabric face masks with ties/elastic around the head.